Ribbon for typing and obliterating



Dec. 17, 1963 w. H. WOLOWITZ RIBBON FOR TYPING AND OBLITERATING FiledApril 4, 1961 INKED HALF 34 IMPREGNATED, CAL- ENDEQED AND COATED HALF 36Wm. H- WoLowITz INVENTOR.

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United States Patent F 3,114,447 lttlhlitlhl FUR TWINS AND UELHERATENGWilliam H. Wolowitz, 1742 Holly St., NW., Washington 12, DJC. J'F'lcdApr. 4, 1%1, tier. No. lltlthel 2 Claims. ill. 197-172.)

This invention has to do with typewriter ribbons, and especially to aribbon having portions selectively usable for transferring inkedcharacter markings onto a sheet and for obliterating such markings bythe overprinting of an opaque substance of suitable color and othercharacteristics.

it has been proposed to accomplish the correction of typing errors, withthe impression paper or like sheet still in the typewriter, by strikingover the erroneous characters while holding between the type face andthe sheet a ransfer material, such that the impact of the type faceaccomplishes the transfer to the sheet of a thin layer of adherentopaque material, usually white, or in any case of a color matching theimpression sheet. By this second striking of the erroneous type face, itis intended to cover up precisely the area of the sheet to which ink waspreviously applied in error, and thus to leave the surface apparentlyblank, and/or suitable for the later reception of an ink image of thedesired or propercharacter. This proposal requires a certain amount ofskill and care in the manipulation of the transfer material, andinvolves the trouble of keeping the material conveniently at hand and inproper form and condition for use.

t is a principal object of my invention to provide a composite spooledribbon for use both in the typewriting of character images onto theimpression sheet, and in the overprinting or obliteration of such imageswith suitable camouflage or obliterating material. A further object ofthe invention is to provide such a ribbon in which the camouflagematerial is so disposed that areas thereof, once used, are periodicallyrevived or rejuvenated for later re-use; to the end that the camouflageportion of the ribbon shall have a useful life comparable to that of theinking or printing portion.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as thedescription thereof proceeds. In general, the invention involves theprovision of a spooled ribbon, either of textile fabric or other supportmaterial, and of which one longitudinal or lengthwise stripe(preffcrably of half width) is suitable for the impact transfer of inkedcharacters to the impression sheet, while the remaining longitudinalstripe or half width is treated to apply a character-image camouflage orcover-up material. Since conventional typewriters include convenientcontrols for selecting which edge portion of a ribbon is impactedagainst the impression paper, the making of a correction or opaqueoverprint of suitable color (e.g., to match the impression paper) isthus greatly facilitated.

Several forms in which the principle of my invention may be embodiedwill now be described by way of example, and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts of a conventionaltypewriter, showing the use thereof with a ribbon according to theinvention.

PEG. 2 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged and of exaggeratedthickness scale in part, of the ribbon shown in Fit 1.

PK 3 is a perspective View of part of a further embodiment of theimproved ribbon.

MG. 4 is a perspective view of a spooled ribbon illustrating stillanother form which the invention may take.

PEG. 5 is a view similar to PM 2 of a modified form of the invention.

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V ant in Patented Der:o 17, 1963 "ice Referring first to FIG. 1 for ageneral understanding of the operation of my invention, numeral -10designates the usual platen or paper roll of any known or conventionaltypewriter, while numeral 12 designates a sheet of impression paperwrapped partly about the platen to receive the ink impressions from typebars (not shown). The usual type bar guide 14 is illustrated, as is theconventional ribbon vibrator 16 operating, during each type stroke, toelevate the ribbon '18 into operative relation between the type face andthe impression sheet. The particular part of the ribbon which is thusbrought into impact position is selected by operation of the ordinaryvibrator-stroke control, not shown.

Ribbon 18, which forms the subject matter of my invention, islongitudinally divided into at least two lengthwise areas, sections orstripes 20 and 22. Area 2i) is here shown as saturated with impressionink for transfer to sheet 12 whenever the ribbon control of the machineis set to inte-rpose this upper portion of the ribbon between anapproaching type bar and the impression sheet. Area 22, on the otherhand, is here shown as carrying a continuous unbroken layer of asuitable opaque material, matching the color of sheet 12, and otherwisefor-med and adapted for overprinting upon an erroneous ink character onthe sheet. The properties and disposition of such overprinting materialwill be elaborated below; for the present it will merely be pointed outthat the material will operate to conceal or camouflage errors if it isdisposed on the printing surface A of ribbon 18, for transfer to sheet12 when the ribbon is struck against the sheet by a type bar impact onits impact surface B, and thus will cover or obliterate a previous errorand leave a surface suitable for receiving the correct ink impression,if desired.

To employ this obliterating feature, and as will be obvious, the typistmerely backspaces or otherwise moves the platen lit to bring anincorrectly printed character into typing position, shifts the ribboncontrol to cause the lower stripe 22 to be interposed between the sheet10 and the type face, and again strikes the erroneous key. This coversthe wrong character imprint with a thin opaque layer of the camouflagesubstance, by impact transfer from surface A of stripe 22, and leavesthe sheet surface clear and suitable, if desired, for receiving an inkimpression of a correct character.

The useful life of an inked typewriter ribbon of the conventionalsaturated fabric type, as is well known, largely depends upon theredistribution of the ink saturant through its body and into areasdepleted of ink by reason of its transfer to the impression sheet. Thisredistribution occurs principally from capillary action in therespective threads leading to the impacted area of ribbon, and from theintimate surface contacts between the layers or convolutions of theribbon as wound upon the spools provided in the typewriter. Thus, whilemy invention can in fact be applied as a practical matter to so-ealledone use ribbons, usually made of thin paper with a carbon and waxtransfer ink coating, it would be very desirable to provide theadvantages of the invention also in a ribbon of the saturated-fabrictype. Two major problems stand in the way of a solution for this aim.

First, a commercially acceptable ribbon incorporating the inventionought to provide substantially as long a useful life for the camouflageportion 22 as it does for the inking portion 2%. While it may appearunlikely that ordinary use would quickly deplete the active materlal onportion 22 (because of the relative infrequency of errors and therandomness of the particular charactershapes of the depleted areas),experience teaches that the equalization of useful lives of the twoareas requires more effective treatment. I therefore prefer to providefor rejuvenation of the camouflage material also, and I may 3 "lish thisby various structural arrangements and features now to be described.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a typical ribbon according to theinvention is shown in cross-section as comprising a textile fabricribbon 2 5 whose upper half 2%, at least, is saturated with impressionink of desired color and conventional composition. I prefer to ink onlythis upper half, and to apply to the ribbon along the lower margin ofthe inked half a line of some diffusionrestraining barrier material 26,such as hardened glue or other impervious or cementitious material ofadequate flexibility. Such materials, and processes of applying them,are well known to the art in connection with the manufacture of ordinarytwo-color ribbons.

' mile the lower half of ribbon 24 may itself be saturated with thecamouflage material, I have found that compositions suitable for theobliterating function do not, in general, diffuse readily from one faceto another of a textile fabric. 1 therefore prefer to apply thecamouflage composition to both surfaces A and B of the ribbon. As shownin FIG. 2, l accomplish this by cementing to the lower ribbon half, oneach face thereof, a composite layer comprising a support layer 23 suchas a layer of thin, strong paper, cellophane, or plastic such as thattrademarked Mylar, which acts as the support and carrier for the layer39 of the camouflage composition.

The carrier or support 23 serves several functions. Thus, it ensures thepresence of a smooth continuous outer layer of composition 36, so that,when the type face impacts the ribbon against a previously imprintedcharacter impression, the material 3G covers the entire design area ofthat imprint, and not merely those spots thereof that represent theintersections of fabric warp and Weft threads lying within the imprintoutline. As is well known, the impression made by an inked fabric ribbonmay actually be an assemblage of random spots or dots, as viewed througha magnifier, and the depositing of such a random pattern of thecamouflage material would not effectively ride an erroneous ink imprintof the same type face. The carrier layer 23 also facilitates the thin,uniform application of composition fill to the ribbons fabric body, inthat the composition 3'9 may first be coated onto an endlessdouble-width strip of the carrier 28 which is thereafter folded aboutits longitudinal center-line with material on the outside, and thereuponapplied over the lower half of ribbon 24 as actually illustrated in FIG.2. The manufacture of the product is thus facilitated. Indeed, such afolded strip, or even single (unfolded) narrower strips may be adheredto available fully-inked ribbons to produce composite ribbons like thoseof the invention.

In the event of migration of ink from area Ztl into area 22 of theribbon body, despite the use of barrier 26, carrier layer 28 Willgreatly impede its diffusion into material 39, and consequentdeterioration of the color thereof. It may be noted that, if preferred,the manufacture of the composite ribbon may be achieved by first foldingthe coated carrier strip 218, 30 about the lower half of an uninkedfabric strip, such half having been previously saturated or coated onboth sides with a suitable adhesive for the carrier 28. The remaininghalf of the ribbon may thereafter be ink-saturated in the usual Way. Asuitably impervious saturating adhesive used in this manner will largelyeliminate the need for a separate barrier 26. The coating, folding,adhering and inking functions can readily be carried out on continuousWebs of the component layers, in the large scale manufacture of theproduct.

The presence of exposed camouflage material 30 on the impact face Bensures that, as successive convolutions are rolled up on one or theother of the usual ribbon spools, replenishment of camouflage materialfrom side B to side A is continuously effected; while a small amount ofsuch material may offset onto the faces of the types themselves, this isfound unobjectionable, and does not interfere with effectivereplenishment as described.

FIG. 4 illustrates the way in which replenishment of the camoul agecomposition occurs vien a double-side coated ribbon is rolled up, as ona spool. Impact face B (say) rolls into contact with impression face Aof the next in er convolution, and. both the pressure and the slightinterfacial sliding action operate to average out any depletcd regionsof the impression surface A.

Similar results as above can be obtained from different structures. inFIG. 3 there is illustrated, for example, a fabric ribbon 32 whose upperhalf has been inked as usual W 2 the lower half has been treated with aflexible imprc nant or coating capable of receiving a smooth surfacefinis. The impregnant, for example, may be a flexible ti lmoplasticresin which is ironed or calendered in situ to provide a continuoussmooth surface on both s es of this lower half. The camouflage overcoatis apples to both expose 1 surfaces of this layer, as at 36, byspraying, knife or roller coating, any suitable method.

other substances, capable of presenting a smooth, unbrokenimpression-transmitting surface to the ribbon fabric, may replace theplastic selvage treatment as a base for the camouflage composition.

FIG. 5 of the drawings illustrates in section a different constructionof a ribbon according to the invention. Here, the ribbon 38 has itsupper half 40 inked for making visible impressions, while the lower half4-2 has applied thereto, on one side only, the barrier andsurfacelevelling layer 25? which in turn carries the camouflage materialThis is roughly equivalent to the FIG. 2 form but omitting the addedlayers on one side of the ribbon. To increase the replenishment action,the portion 42 of the left side of the ribbon may be physicallysaturated with the material 39.

The composition of the camouflage substance itself may be widely varied.Thus, it may merely duplicate similar materials presently available on apaper base for manual interposition in the typewriter, as alreadydescribed. Basically, such materials consist of a tacky mixture of afinely powdered pigment (such as Zinc or titanium oxides) with a binderand carrier such as partly polymerized natural oils, Waxes, decolorizedlatex, or the like. In fact, any substantially non-drying adhesive maybe employed as the binder, so long as its color does not interfere withthe visual covering action and the color of the pigment. The mixture ofthese ingredients is such as to impart sulficient viscosity to the thinlayer thereof as to render it insensitive to normal handling, so that itacts as a solid coating upon its carrier, yet is readily transferred (inthe same manner as the pigment coating of ordinary carbon paper) whensubjected to a local impact by a type face or the like. So-calledpressure-sensitive adhesive compositions may be employed as the adhesivecomponent of the pigment mixture, so long as the mixture is sufiicientlyWeak to withdraw readily from its original underlying support when ithas been driven into contact with the surface of the impression sheet.

I have disclosed my invention in the best ways known to me for carryingit out, but the details given are not intended to limit the inventionexcept as may be required by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

l. A composite inking and obliterating ribbon for typewriters,comprising an elongated flexible ribbon having at least one longitudinalhalf inked for transferring visible impressions to an impression sheet,and the other longitudinal half secured between elongated leaves ofsmooth, ink-impervious tape material; said leaves being interconnectedto one another adjacent one elongated edge of said flexible ribbon; atleast one of said leaves having its exterior surface covered with animpact-transferable coating of an opaque substance having adherentpropcrties.

2. A composite inking and obliterating ribbon for typewriters, inaccordance with claim 1, in which said leaves offset printing, orSprayed surface coatings of metals are interconnected directly to oneanother adjacent said one elongated edge of said flexible ribbon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS StarkOct. 4, 1921 6 Nadell Apr. 25, 1933 Hudspeth Jan. 5, 1937 Dixon Sept. 9,1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 1, 1940

1. A COMPOSITE INKING AND OBLITERATING RIBBON FOR TYPEWRITERS,COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE RIBBON HAVING AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINALHALF INKED FOR TRANSFERRING VISIBLE IMPRESSIONS TO AN IMPRESSION SHEET,AND THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL HALF SECURED BETWEEN ELONGATED LEAVES OFSMOOTH, INK-IMPERVIOUS TAPE MATERIAL; SAID LEAVES BEING INTERCONNECTEDTO ONE ANOTHER ADJACENT ONE ELONGATED EDGE OF SAID FLEXIBLE RIBBON; ATLEAST ONE OF SAID LEAVES HAVING ITS EXTERIOR SURFACE COVERED WITH ANIMPACT-TRANSFERABLE COATING OF AN OPAQUE SUBSTANCE HAVING ADHERENTPROPERTIES.